Snevl_bb LED Sign Control package Discussion

[stevea]

Picta,

I'm out of town right now and don't have access to the code or my list of signs. If it is an older one, you probably should try changing the serial connection. I know on one of my older signs (can't remember the model, but it's a larger, older sign I got on EBay), I had to use 7 data bits and 2 stop bits. If you bring up the config web page (Snevl_bb_config.aspx) you can see the choices.

For experimenting, you could create a couple of new events to shut down and start up the sign, rather than having to shutdown and restart Homeseer each time. Just put the init and shutdown script lines that you now have in shutdown.txt and startup.txt into the script action on the events, with an ampersand in front.

Steve

[stevea]

I found an early post of mine: My second sign is a 4200C. I also had to change a jumper on it to switch for RS485 to RS232, but the fact that you are getting some response suggests that isn't the problem.

Steve

[picta]

Unfortunately I get the same error with 7 bits.

[stevea]

You should also try slower rates and such.

[jpape]

Steve,

I remember reading somewhere that you added the ability to define more then 4 Strings per sign. Was that a special release or was that a feature you were planning to add?

Judd

[stevea]

Steve,

I remember reading somewhere that you added the ability to define more then 4 Strings per sign. Was that a special release or was that a feature you were planning to add?

Judd

Judd,

I was thinking about changing the config editor, but never got around to it.

The main program can handle up to 35 strings for each sign: labels 1-9 and labels a-z. Right now the config editor only lets you assign stuff for labels 1-4. So, there is a way you can manually do it. If you edit the Snevl_bb.ini file and follow the same format, you can add some lines for more strings, e.g. String_5_size=200 would allocate String 5, with 200 bytes.

ONE BIG CAVEAT IF YOU DO THIS:Any time you use the config editor to change anything, it will wipe out the string allocations beyond the 1-4 labels.

I'll take a look this week at changing the config editor to handle more. Is 8 enough?

Steve

[jpape]

Steve,

Thanks for the reply. It would be great to have access to as many as possible "strings" from the config page. With that, can you build the new page to handle 10? What if you just made this an option so we could define how many strings we need. So say I need 12 strings, i would enter 12 in the "How many strings" field and then enter 128 in the "String memory size" field.

[jpape]

Steve, Just another observation, I have installed 1.4 of the Script but the Config page shows version 1.3. Is this just a typo in that pages code?

[stevea]

Steve,

Thanks for the reply. It would be great to have access to as many as possible "strings" from the config page. With that, can you build the new page to handle 10? What if you just made this an option so we could define how many strings we need. So say I need 12 strings, i would enter 12 in the "How many strings" field and then enter 128 in the "String memory size" field.

So you're saying it's OK for all the strings to be the same size? That certainly would make it easy. Obviously I'd also be allocating contiguous labels starting with 1 and going first through 9 and then starting at 'a' and going as far as needed trough the alphabet.

If anyone would be messed up by this approach, please post.

Steve

[stevea]

Steve, Just another observation, I have installed 1.4 of the Script but the Config page shows version 1.3. Is this just a typo in that pages code?

I'm pretty sure I didn't make any changes for the web page in v1.4, and I must have neglected to update the version label.

Steve

[danielbo]

I know you have told me so many times on what type of sign to buy. Every time I think I have some extra money to spend, something happens and I miss out on a deal on ebay. I know I have bidded on a few, but gotten to high. But if you would direct me to what I need, I want to try again. I want one of these so much. I think they would be so neat and fun. The next think I want to buy is a thermostat controlled by Homeseer. Do you know if you are going to convert to HS3. I so want to find out from the program I love the most to make sure if I want to stay at HS2 or move to HS3, HS3 has so many neat features, I love it, but if it doesn't work with the programs I like, its not going to be worth it.
Thank you.

[stevea]

I know you have told me so many times on what type of sign to buy. Every time I think I have some extra money to spend, something happens and I miss out on a deal on ebay. I know I have bidded on a few, but gotten to high. But if you would direct me to what I need, I want to try again. I want one of these so much. I think they would be so neat and fun. The next think I want to buy is a thermostat controlled by Homeseer. Do you know if you are going to convert to HS3. I so want to find out from the program I love the most to make sure if I want to stay at HS2 or move to HS3, HS3 has so many neat features, I love it, but if it doesn't work with the programs I like, its not going to be worth it.
Thank you.

Daniel,

Most of the signs from Adaptive Micro Systems (http://www.adaptivedisplays.com/) work with my stuff, plus the original BetaBrite. The BetaBrite Prism will NOT work, as it uses a USB interface rather than the serial RS232.

I can't tell for sure, but a quick look at EBay looks like this one may be one of the AMS signs: http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-One-Line...item4ac69f5391. I can't tell though, so it is best to ask them before buying it.

This one would definitely work, but is pretty expensive for a used sign, and doesn't come with the serial cable: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ALPHA-BIG-DO...item33839cc234.

I currently have no plans to move this or any of my packages to HS3. From what I can tell the HS3 script interface is pretty badly hosed in terms of dealing with devices, and based on some posts Rick has made, it sounds like they are still designing it. Seems crazy to me, since they are selling the product while it is being designed. I may at some point make some changes to support HS3, but I can't see that happening for many months, probably more than a year.

Steve

[reggs11]

Issue with YEAR & Motd script

Hi guys - I've really tried to fix this one myself and got pretty far but now I'm stuck.

Problem was initially with the MOTD script. It would always throw up the large error at the bottom of this post.
I eventually tracked the problem down to me being in the UK and dates in my locale being in the format dd/mm/yyyy.

Anyway this line in the MOTD script :
this_date = DateTime.Parse(date_str)
Would always cause the error, until I changed the various date routines in the script to the dd/mm/yyyy format from mm/dd/yyyy.
So now its working great!

Anyway, the minor problem that I'm left with is that I can't set the YEAR on my BB Classic EZ95 so my idle message just reports the wrong year all the time.

Hs.runex "Snevl_bb.vben","set_datetime","1"

Will set the day and time okay, but not the year. I'm currently stuck in 1997!
Does anyone have any idea what the problem is ??
I'm guessing its the format of DateTime in my locale and a similar issue to the one I fixed above.

27/08/2013 08:35:41 - Error - Scripting runtime error: System.Reflection.TargetInvocationException: Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation. ---> System.FormatException: String was not recognized as a valid DateTime. at System.DateTimeParse.Parse(String s, DateTimeFormatInfo dtfi, DateTimeStyles styles) at System.DateTime.Parse(String s) at scriptcode3.scriptcode3.Check_Holiday(String holiday) at scriptcode3.scriptcode3.Main(Object parms) --- End of inner exception stack trace --- at System.RuntimeMethodHandle._InvokeMethodFast(Object target, Object[] arguments, SignatureStruct& sig, MethodAttributes methodAttributes, RuntimeTypeHandle typeOwner) at System.RuntimeMethodHandle.InvokeMethodFast(Object target, Object[] arguments, Signature sig, MethodAttributes methodAttributes, RuntimeTypeHandle typeOwner) at System.Reflection.RuntimeMethodInfo.Invoke(Object obj, BindingFlags invokeAttr, Binder binder, Object[] parameters, CultureInfo culture, Boolean skipVisibilityChecks) at System.Reflection.RuntimeMethodInfo.Invoke(Object obj, BindingFlags invokeAttr, Binder binder, Object[] parameters, CultureInfo culture) at System.Reflection.MethodBase.Invoke(Object obj, Object[] parameters) at Scheduler.VsaScriptHost.Invoke(String ModuleName, String MethodName, Object[] Arguments)

[stevea]

reggs11,

I bet you are right about the cause. Let me go look at the code. If you don't mind, send me an email: snevl at msn dot com. Reference this problem and with any luck I will be able to send you a version to try.

Steve

UPDATE: Well, in looking at the code it seems like it should work even if your locale install has a different date/time format. The sign expects MMddyy, and I explicitly send that, no matter what the default format for date/time is. If you have debug turned on in Snevl_bb, it should be generating a debug file in your root Homeseer directory that will help see what is going on. With debug on, send the command to set the date/time, and then email me the zipped up debug file.

[outbackrob]

By the way: I probably won't be upgrading to HS3 for a long time, if ever. I don't know what changes would be required for HS3 to Snevl_bb (or Snevl Weather Warnings, Snevl Latitude, or Snevl CID) because I don't think HS Tech has provided the info. Even if I have the info, I won't be able to test it. So while I'm willing to try and keep things compatible with both HS2 and HS3, I'm not feeling too confident right now.

Steve

So how are you feeling a year later?

I am hoping that there is enough interest that you or Bill or Blade or Ultra will write an HS3 compatible plug-in or script that all of us with Betabrites can PURCHASE. I have 4 signs and another on the way. Giving up the signs in order to move to HS3 would be a tough call...

......Pretty Please?

Rob